Jeanetta Darley: Rolling with Jams and Jellies {Foodie Friday}
Celebrating the Summer Bounty
The summer heat is bearing down on us. I know I’m sweating through every inch I have on when I’m out in the garden. But it also means that our gardens are bursting! And not only are our home gardens but there tons of local farms over flowing with the berries and fruits. U pick farms are a great way to support your local agriculture system and they help educate our kids on where their food comes from and the hard work that’s involved in producing it.
“But what do I do with a bushel of peaches or 5 gallons of blackberries?”
I hear this all the time. Truthfully, I say this to myself often. And one of my favorite solutions is to make jams and jellies. When I suggest this to one not initiated in the art of canning, I can see a wave of fear cross their face.
“That’s one of them old timey arts that MeeMaw use to witchcraft up yummy stuff with.”
Now I would never weigh in on whether your grandma was capable of using a broomstick for more than just sweeping floors but it’s not that scary. It’s a delicious form of magic we can all achieve.
To me the hardest part about making jam and jelly is just getting all your supplies out and making sure they are clean. And, of course, making sure the kitchen is clean and clear because you do need a good area in which to work. If you can wash dishes and follow a recipe, you can make jelly!
Let’s just go over some of the basics. A jam is a fruit spread that utilizes the juice and meat of the fruit. It’s thicker than a jelly. A jelly is made from the juice of the fruit obtained from either bought juice or boiling the skins of the fruit and pouring it through a strainer. Jelly is clearer than jam. Both are delicious.
- Basic Supplies
Waterbath canner with a canning rack
Funnel (optional)
Jar grabber (optional)
Glass preserving jars with bands and lids
A few basic kitchen items
Large heavy sauce pan
Measuring cups and spoons
Kitchen knives
Cutting board
Large spoon & ladle
Dish towels & oven mitts
- Basic Ingredients
Fruit and or juice
Sugar
Pectin (powdered or liquid)
Lemon juice
Jams and jellies set, or solidify, because of the perfect ratio between the fruit, sugars, and pectin. When you are starting out, follow a tried and true recipe out of your box of pectin. Once you get your “jamming jelly” feet under you, start to experiment with new flavors and combinations. If you can boil water, set a timer, and don’t mind standing at the stove to stir you can make your own jams and jellies before you know it. So give it a try!
And what’s the worst that can happen? So it doesn’t set. Well believe me you’ll have some darn good syrup to put on ice cream, waffles, or pancakes. Or cheesecake. YUM!
- Resources
Ball Canning Website
Into to Canning
Your Local Home Extension Office
Great site for u-pick farms and what to do with the bounty
Jeanetta is an artist, blogger, and sometimes homesteader. She’s addicted to coffee, her garden, and chickens. You can see her art and read more stories at JeanettaDarley.com. Or follow her on social media @jeanettadarley.
Big Blue Bounty {Wordless Wednesday}
By Georgeanne Yehling of Southern Fried Soprano
Georgeanne Yehling is not a Southern belle but a Southern bramble. Though originally from Little Rock, she is currently located in Kansas, pursuing her graduate degree in opera performance at Wichita State University. She is an emerging operatic soprano, amateur gardener, kitchen wench, and crazed Oklahoma City Thunder fan. Find her atSouthern Fried Soprano, where she writes about navigating the world of classical music and keeping it #arkansassy, no matter where she finds herself.
Talya Boerner: Cooking From the Farmers Market {Foodie Friday}
Celebrating the Flavors of Arkansas: Riceland Rice and the Farmers Market
Hundreds of farmers markets and roadside vendors are registered with Arkansas Grown, so odds are great, you’re able to enjoy locally grown produce no matter what part of the state you call home. Cooking and eating locally grown food is beneficial to our environmental and your health. Before I share one of my favorite recipes using local veggies, let’s talk about the benefits of buying locally. It’s important, y’all!
- Did you know that for every dollar you spend locally, three dollars is pumped into your local community? This impact is called the Multiplier Effect.
- Buying local creates more local jobs. Not only do small business owners hire employees, these are the companies buying local advertising, printing, hiring attorneys, etc. In other words, buying local is a long-term investment in community.
- Buying fresh veggies from the local farmer’s market reduces overall environmental impact. Think about it… Oregon apples sold in Arkansas include the cost of transportation, congestion, and pollution. Buying local minimizes and nearly eliminates this. (And I have nothing whatsoever against Oregon apples.)
- Local food is fresher, tastier, and in season.
Going to the Fayetteville Farmers Market is one of the best things about Saturday morning. My husband and I typically go without a plan, buy whatever is fresh and in season, and then create supper using what we bought. And lots of times supper includes fresh vegetables—either roasted or stir-fried—and Riceland rice.
My Farmers Market Risotto can be used with a variety of vegetables. On our most recent trip to the farmers market, we purchased two types of onions, red bell pepper, and asparagus. (For this dish, I roasted the asparagus separately and served it on top of the risotto.)
Talya Boerner: Cooking From the Farmers Market {Foodie Friday}
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked short to medium grain Riceland Rice
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- ½ cup chopped Green Onion
- ½ cup diced Yellow Onion
- ½ cup diced Red Bell Pepper
- 3 cups Vegetable Broth
Risotto
- 1 bunch of Asparagus spears (10-20 depending upon size)
- Olive Oil, just a drizzle
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Thyme
- ½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- White Truffle Oil
Roasted Asparagus
Instructions
- Sauté onion and bell pepper in olive oil and butter for 3 minutes. Add rice, stirring for 2 more minutes.
- Stir in 1 cup of broth. Stir and cook until broth is absorbed.
- Stir in remaining broth ½ cup at a time. Wait until broth is absorbed before adding additional broth. This is the key to risotto’s creamy texture.
Risotto
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Snap ends from asparagus. Place in roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with ¼ cup Parmesan and lemon thyme.
- Bake. Turn once. Keep and eye on your asparagus so you don’t overcook.
- To serve, divide risotto among pasta bowls. Arrange asparagus on top of each serving. Drizzle white truffle oil. Add remaining Parmesan. Salt and pepper to taste.
Roasted Asparagus:
Notes
White truffle oil (a light oil infused with bits of truffle) is a splurge, but the flavor added with only a small amount is incredible.
Substitute your favorite in-season vegetables (i.e. mushrooms & peas, broccoli & squash, tomato & basil, etc.) to create your own risotto recipe. Tasty!
Arkansas Women Bloggers All Rights Reserved
Arkansas Women Bloggers member Talya Tate Boerner is a delta girl who grew up making mudpies on her family’s cotton farm in Northeast Arkansas. After thirty years in Texas, she has returned to the state she loves, settling in Northwest Arkansas. Talya draws inspiration from nature and appreciates the history behind food, family, places and objects. She blogs at Grace, Grits and Gardening and has been published in Arkansas Review, Front Porch and several on-line publications. Talya believes most any dish can be improved with a side of collard greens. Her debut novel, The Accidental Salvation of Gracie Lee, is available at Barnes & Noble, via Amazon, and at certain indie bookstores.
Twitter: @gracegrits
Instagram: @gracegrits
Blog: www.gracegritsgarden.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GraceGritsGardening/?ref=hl
Rachel Hough is a full-time everything lifestyle blogger who is passionate about living in the now and also resurrecting domestic skills of the past. She lives in northeastern Oklahoma with her husband, two teenage daughters, two dog daughters, and a cranky rabbit. Rachel writes her blog, 
So here I am, many years later, representing Arkansas, for one month, in the blogging world. I am thrilled, delighted, honored. I’m tickled pink there’s no tiara for me to balance on my head, and certainly grateful there was no bathing suit competition that I had to sweat my way through. So thanks to the powers that be for asking me. I will serve out my term as well as I can, and respectfully hand off the scepter to the next worthy blogger.
Heather Disarro is a food-centric lifestyle blogger who is passionate about embracing the beauty that surrounds us in our everyday lives. She is a Texan living the expat life in central Arkansas with her husband, two sons, and two massive dogs. Heather writes her blog,